Welcome to the Bob Dylan Critical Corner, a site dedicated to the critical analysis of

Oberhausen and Köln Rivisited, by Valérie Charlez

He Opened Up His Book of Poems: Dylan in Milan, 28 May 2000, by Chris Rollason

Still on the Road: Review of ‘The Best of Bob Dylan Volume 2’, by Chris Rollason

Having played on previous tours in Pisa, Livorno and Pistoia, Bob Dylan finally made it to Florence, the most important town in Tuscany and one of the most interesting places to visit in Europe.

A stone's throw from Vignamaggio, where Leonardo painted his most famous work, the woman with the highway blues clearly revealed by the way she smiles, where angels fear to tread in a mediaeval town full of towers some of which (some say) inspired the financial centre in lower Manhattan; the place where Michelangelo carved out, besides David, the Jokerman's features; the place where Botticelli's niece lived, when not taking a weekend off in Rome, and where the Italian poet from the 13^th century invented a new language.

So many references lead Dylan to this city, including the 'theatre of Divine Comedy' which marked the return to his roots. No wonder, then, his premiere here is seen with extreme interest. Italy is, indeed, one of the countries most often cited in Dylan's work.

At least a couple of times he chose this country to start the European leg of his tours (1984 and 1991); this time he changed the cards, and Italy was the last country visited in this series of concerts. A strange itinerary: at first only the Cagliari date was confirmed, then rumours followed one another until the final dates were revealed by the end of April.

He started in Modena, in an open-air location, Piazza Grande, a place sung by one of the most famous Italian singer-songwriter; then moved north, to Milano, took a day off (though some unfounded reports said he would be playing near Salzburg) before going to Florence, then Ancona and Cagliari.

Me and Chris have a clear mind: follow at least a couple of shows and try to meet Bob in Florence. I ask all of my hotel contacts and finally get to know where he is staying: the most gorgeous hotel in town, very close to the place he's playing, an excellent haven for those who want privacy at any cost. And fortunately I have worked there, I know who to ask, where to get and in which room he may be staying. The hotel is getting empty because all the guests who stayed for Susan Ross's wedding (a lot of famous people, including the Spielbergs, Mr. Nicole Kidman and Ms. Tom Cruise, to name but a few) have just left, and the atmosphere is again relaxing and not exclusive.

I call in the early afternoon, and I am told he'll be arriving by the early evening, just in time to settle down and get to play. I have a working meeting, and keep straight contacts with the hotel, but … no Bob. According to what they say, the reservation, under some of the aliases Dylan could use, is made. But neither Dylan nor the crew are there yet, and it's getting dark.

We finally decide it's not worth trying, and after dinner we get to the arena.

I still think about it: the first time Dylan plays in the city I was born and always lived, in the sports arena two blocks away from my house, up to the point I could hope to run into his car on the street as I am going there. The line for the reserved seats is long, everybody decided to get here at the very last minute. After some searching (there are no hostesses, unlike in Milano) we finally find our seats. Dylan starts only a few minutes after we've sat down. The first song is unrecognisable; for sure it's a traditional – he's consistently been opening with traditionals on this tour. We keep listening, trying to catch the words, but unfortunately the acoustics are terrible, as they've always been in this building built about fifteen years ago mainly for sport events, full of pipes on the ceiling which cause holes in the sound and strange echoes which send the sounds back in an endless noise. The girl sitting next to me keeps the rhythm tapping on her neck, Chris is carefully listening trying to get some clue, I look around getting to the conclusion I don't know the song and I may check in the Lomax collection later at home. But then Chris is looking at me: "Duncan and Brady", he says.

The playing is not as dense and intense as it was in Milano, but there's nothing to be worried about. This is my tenth Dylan concert, and I already witnessed something like this, in Pisa seven years ago, and then the concert turned out to be great.

The only bad thing is the sound, as I suspected. The sheets on the ceiling didn't prevent these holes, and the result is something confused. For sure the sound engineers will be able to work it out soon, but it'll take time, maybe a couple of songs. That's fine, because I am pretty sure the second one will be "The Times They Are a-Changin'" again. And so it is.

This old song, considered an anthem by many people of Dylan's generation (juxtaposed to Tom Petty's "Free Falling", which many defined an anti-anthem in the late eighties) has crossed his career in a smoother way then "Blowin' in the Wind", always finding a place in his concerts, causing enthusiasm in the audience and scarcely any disappointment for the version he decided to play, unlike what's happened with the Freewheelin' classic. David Kemper's drums clearly mark this 6/8 feeling (the sheet music always said ¾, and Dylan always played it as a 6/8) and the guitars outline the melody in a long instrumental introduction. The performing in Milano was perfect, with clear words and good timing; tonight it's a little weaker. Dylan sings carefully and comprehensibly, but it seems there is a blank spot in his concentration. Besides, his first leg hasn't started to swivel around his toe yet, which is never a good sign. The scheme is always the same: the first four stanzas, an instrumental break, the last one and another solo. The audience is captured, cheers sound all over the place, and the general feeling is that the building is going to fall in a second.

The lights grow dimmer for the third song, which starts in a slow and dilated mood. His guitar is clearly recognisable through the wall of sound the three create. The girl's father asked me which the song is, I shake my head as if to say 'I don't know'. After a few more second, the unmistakable progression from fourth to first reveals a revisited "Visions of Johanna". Milder than the original version, totally different from the working tracks recorded thirty-five years before in New York, maybe akin to a freeze-out to me. Again it's Dylan in Tuscany and again what remains of Joanna is only the visions. Even this time, thanks to a stupid delayed flight, Joanna is not here. Last time, two years ago, it was a conference; this time it's the weather. It's like somebody knows I should have been here with Joanna. A thing made even more evident as he whisper the phrase "she makes it all too concise and too clear that Joanna's not here". Louise says that, and my sister always said Joanna reminds her of her friend Luisa. Again, coincidence on coincidence, Dylan is building once more his entrance into my personal feelings. And he does it the way he usually does; silently letting his thin blade sink into your own thoughts, in a place you thought no one would have ever been able to reach. As Ivano Fossati wrote, everyone holds his favourite poets in his heart, but he doesn't know what part of the heart to give them, because he doesn't know which part they will take by themselves. The performance is very accurate, with measured guitar and soft drums quietly punctuating his singing, as Garnier provides a smooth line able to point out all the harmonies in the song.

"To Ramona" follows, with a nice intuition: another song for a woman. If Johanna's name recalls Baez's, Ramona was the nickname Dylan gave her in the letter he wrote to Baez's mother, later included in the Queen of Folk Music's autobiography "And a Voice To Sing With". The arrangement winks at the Southern Italian folk music, with the mandolin filling up the pauses between the lines. The result is not as great as it was in Milano, but at the same time very pleasant. It may also be that, having heard the song twice in three days, the listener's attention tends to decrease.

"Tangled Up in Blue" follows, with such an intensity that, in fact, prepares us for the electric set. In an ideal structure, this sequence of three songs seems to cover three important phases of a relationship: desire, knowledge, rise and fall. If in "Visions of Johanna" the writer realises how he misses the one he has visions about, in "Ramona" he actually talks to her and finds out how hard it is to get a deep relationship; and in "Tangled Up in Blue", he takes a backward look at something gone but not forgotten, up to the point, in the end, of finding himself on the road again, feeling really needy and desperate ('I got to get to her somehow').

By the time Dylan wrote this song, he may have read Shakespeare's "The Two Gentlemen of Verona". The triangle in the song – he, she, I – suggests the competition between Proteus and Valentine to get to Silvia. Besides, Shakespeare's lines at the beginning of the third act, "You must lay time to tangle her desires/ by wailful sonnets, whose composed rhymes/ should be full fraught with serviceable vows", really seem to be echoed in Dylan's fourth stanza, as she opens up a book of poems written by an Italian poet from the thirteenth century. This suggests a fusion of the situation Shakespeare is describing and the sonnet form, which was actually invented by Petrarch, as a careful balance of sounds and words, as a form of seduction. But, as Chris correctly pointed out to me, if in Shakespeare's play poetry is a weapon belonging to Proteus, in Dylan it is the woman who uses it to seduce her guest.

It's great music, at certain points so intense it could be called "almost electric"; it ties this journey into human emotions. Again, the sequence of songs reveals a deep connection, something that developed over eleven years, for now we go back to 1965, for what seems to be the end of this troubled never-ending search: "It's All Over Now Baby Blue". Even this time, Dylan chose the arrangement he's been using ever since the mid-nineties: different from the Woodstock version, very much like the one performed in the European fall 1997 tour, with a steady pedal steel guitar one more time outlining the different mood in which Dylan tackles this song: if in 1965 there was a strong determination, sometimes we may even call it arrogance, thirty-five years later the man is tired, and is really begging the woman to leave him alone, because, after so much trying, all is over. Dylan's solo playing casts further light on this song, lengthening the suspense between the lines until the final sentence: 'strike another match, GO, start anew'.

"Country Pie", a song never performed live before this tour, opens the electric set on a joyful note. I still remember the first time I listened to "Nashville Skyline" and the effect it had on me. I don't know if it was because the album was actually released the same month I was born, or because at that time I was fascinated by pedal steel guitar, I only remember I thought it was the best Dylan album, a very far-fetched conclusion since it was only my fourth Dylan purchase. Charlie Sexton's solo is extremely appropriate, giving the entire thing a very country atmosphere.

By total contrast to Milano, where another NS song was played with great delicacy, the next number is an intense electric blues: "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry". A wonderful instrumental part, supported by a not so concentrated singing. Once again, Dylan seems to lose his concentration every now and then. His left leg doesn't spin, sometimes he turns towards Sexton inviting him to sustain his solos or even asking him to play them. Whatever the reason may be, the final result is good, and the audience seems enthusiastic. Even on the worst prediction, Dylan has proved himself able to play at least four different kind of styles in eight songs.

"Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again" follows. It's no longer the hard-rock number which shook everyone's ears in 1988, the punk version in 1991 or the more dilated rock'n'roll version I heard him play in Pisa seven years back. It is, contrariwise, a skilful epitome of all of this, something allowing the listener to understand the lyrics, all the situations and the famous ambiguity this song offers, from Shakespeare talking to a prostitute to a teen preacher with twenty pounds of headlines stapled to his chest as the bricks lay on Grand Street, maybe allowing Gary Kemp to write, twenty years later "Through The Barricades", or, more seriously, permitting Kate Wolf to make the river change direction across the great divide.

A semi-acoustic feeling, with a soft pedal steel, announces the following song, which I find very hard to identify until the words "They sat together in the park" come out. "Simple Twist of Fate" as never heard before, maybe not as magic as that night in Pisa when, as he was singing "she felt the heat of the night hit him like a freight train" a train (even if not a freight train) passed behind his back, but nevertheless very intriguing….. up till his guitar solo, which is indeed void of form and showing lack of ideas. Dylan is again distracted, it seems his mind cannot concentrate on what he is doing for more than thirty minutes in a row.

After this semi-debacle, the band launches into a very loud and strong rock, as a total reply to the previous atmosphere. It's "Drifter's Escape": one of the two people who met because of a twist of fate (maybe the man, who is still looking for the woman) cries out to be helped 'in his weakness', while the jury cries for more and, taking advantage of the riot, he finally escapes, hitting the road (yes, it's "Highway 61" he finds himself on). For the first time in two concerts, Dylan drops his guitar and picks up his harmonica, causing a ripple in the audience, playing a very inspired solo, turning around continuously and breathing regularly, giving his playing a deep sense.

The drifter finds shelter from the storm on Highway 61 and the electric blues feeling, with a great Sexton and Campbell able to compensate the Master's fumble, is up again.

Dylan and his band get back on-stage for the encore, and Campbell's guitar clearly scanning the rhythmic beginning of "Love Sick", very well received after an entire show almost totally dedicated to the sixties - the strange and suffering desperation of a man sick of love, who'd give everything either not to have met that woman or to be with her. And now a reaction, a jump back in time, as Dylan strums a few chords on his guitar, looking around and as David Kemper calls the time it is obvious the song is "Like a Rolling Stone". The girl next to me stands up, then her father invites her to stand in the aisle. 'She's been waiting for this song all night', he tells me, looking at her dancing 'Five years ago she didn't even know who he was!'. At that point, me and Chris think how strange it would be if we went to see Dylan with our respective fathers! Again, Dylan is distracted, forgets a few words, but this song would fill the crowd with enthusiasm even if he played it backwards. The slow ending fades out, and then it's again acoustic, with a wonderful version of "It Ain't Me Babe", in which the harmonica jumps up again. A wonderful revisit of this classic, written here in this country almost forty years ago. 'Come è bravo quest'uomo!', says the girl's father.

"Maggie's Farm" again! It's the song I've heard the most in all the concerts I've seen, seven times out of ten. And it's new again, not like the way he played it with Tom Petty or with the 1991-1996 band, it's now a more relaxed song in which he explains why he doesn't want to work there anymore. Wrath has given way to a deep awareness. This is Dylan as he approaches his seventh decade.

All of a sudden, a finger-picking guitar, sort of a country feeling, and our memories (even those of the ones who weren't born back then) bring us all back to 1963. Why? We don't know, and whatever the reason is - "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"! And it sounds like the Village. I know that, I was there twenty days before. It sounds like Jane Street, the fish market between 12^th Street and Ninth Avenue, Washington Square in spring, the most hidden parts of that quarter. After the visions of Joanna. I also have the ones from the place she lives. There is no need for a harmonica break to bring the song out, it is perfect the way it is.

"Rainy Day Women" and "Blowin' in the Wind" bring the show to the end. Dylan thanks everyone, bows several times, dons a hat and descends the stairs, followed by the band. It's over for real.

The tenth time I've attended a Dylan concert, the first time in my own city, two blocks from where I live. Too many times I have thought about this, and now that it has happened, I can't help but complain about the terrible acoustics, and think that maybe they could have had him play in the baseball stadium, in front of the arena but in the open, on a lovely green lawn. But in the end it doesn't matter. Even my own tour is over, I won't be following him in Ancona and Cagliari: there is too much to do at work, and Chris too has to get back to France to see to his own commitments.

And the same two questions: How long will he keep on playing? Will we all be able to see him again? And one day, beyond the visions, will Joanna be next to me, in an arena, a stadium, a square or a Theatre?

Review of the concerts of 9 May and 11 May 2000

By Valérie Charlez, 13 May 2000

I hope that what follows will manage, for those who were not there, to let you share my feelings about those shows and bring you there somehow and, for those who were lucky enough to be where it was at, to arouse some good memories. I've read several reviews and feelings appear to be mixed, so here are mine.

Alright, here's how it all happened…

Oberhausen was a very strange concert. The more I think about it now, the more I think it was good, but there were many ups and downs. The lights went out around 8.15 p.m. and as expected people rushed to the stage. I managed to get a nice place in the first row, between Tony Garnier and Charlie Sexton (Charlie, oh ! Charlie ;o)). Dylan showed up in a nice light grey suit, looked very thin but fit. He didn't even wait for the end of the announcement before starting 'Roving Gambler'. The performance was good, and Bob's voice extremely clear, but you could see he wasn't in a good mood.

Then came 'The Times They Are A-Changin'', and I felt disappointed that it wasn't 'My Back Pages', because I first thought that was the song they were playing. I didn't recognize it at once, for the introduction was quite hesitant. Anyway, there was still another night left for MBP ... 'Times' was well performed, but not exceptional. 'Masters of War', by way of contrast, was really good. Dylan sang it very powerfully, you could see from his face that he meant every syllable of every word of the song. I guess he was in the right mood to perform it – i.e. an ol' angry man. A pity the guy next to me had to sing it out loud from the first to the last word… A very beautiful 'It's All Over Now Baby Blue' followed. Then came the great energetic first acoustic chords of 'Tangled Up In Blue', and I danced during the entire song. Again, Bob's singing was very good and clear, but it wasn't the case of his guitar playing, to say the least. All of his attempts to start solos between verses turned out to be failures. He turned around to take his harp at the end of the song and rendered a nice solo. For lack of guitar at least we had the harmonica! Bob took a deep breath of relief right after the song ended, as if he was glad it was over. Things really got serious with 'One Too Many Mornings'. I was very pleased that he played that song! The whole performance was just wonderful. The first highlight of the show, and a pleasure to the ear! Larry did a good job on the pedal steel, and Bob kept on with his clear and solid singing, re-strengthening the feelings evoked in every line of the song: 'You're right from your side and I'm right from mine'. Thanks Bob, that was splendid!

The electric slot started off with 'Country Pie'. I enjoyed that song very much and I think the whole band did so. Tony had a large smile on his face and Charlie's guitar playing was very impressive, it was so damned good! Oh me, oh my, just loved that Couuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun-try Pie!
The next song was 'Can't Wait', and I was very surprised to hear how different it was from what we had been used to hearing. The version was very slow and intense. I'm not too fond of that song, but I must admit the new arrangement somehow brings something to it.

It took no more than 3 seconds for me to start jumping up and down when I heard the terrific opening chords of 'All Along The Watchtower'. It was awesome! I was just electrified throughout the song, and danced like a fool from the first to the last note!!! Bob was holding his guitar very strangely – almost at the vertical! during that song. Hey, you ain't seen nothing like me yet! This was fun.

'Simple Twist of Fate' calmed things down. It was very softly played.

Then followed the lines: 'What's the matter with me, I don't have much to say?', opening 'Watching The River Flow'. It sounded as usual, everybody on stage seemed to enjoy the song. Dylan was moving around, from and to Larry and Tony. The second highlight of the night was in my opinion the song that followed, i.e. 'Not Dark Yet'. I had heard that song last year in Munich and it had been already wonderfully performed then, but on Tuesday it sounded even better. It was strongly felt and sung, Bob's singing was magnificent. Maybe a sign announcing what Thursday's concert in Köln would be like...

The band got the audience grooving again with 'Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat'. Then they left the stage for a break. Tony winked and smiled at me a couple of times before leaving…
The encore set started with 'Love Sick'. The performance was strong as usual, with Bob raising his eyebrows all the time. 'Like a Rolling Stone' was alright too, I liked very much the way Dylan delivered his didn't you/ kidding you, that is to say it was exaggerated :o). I don't know how many times he must have sung this song, but for sure it can't be easy to make it sound a little different every time, especially when you sing it every night. Back to acoustic instruments with 'Don't Think Twice', we had a very very nice harp solo again. Then came 'Not Fade Away' (we've got used to that song), which got me dancing again. 'Blowin' In The Wind' had the usual riff following the chorus ( you know the cling-cling-cling-cling-cling-cling...cling stuff), and the show ended with 'Rainy Day Women'. This was my fourth show, and it was the fourth time he closed the concert with that song, but it was weaker than what I had heard previously. Maybe too slow and not entertaining enough for my taste....

o0o

Kölnarena is a huge place. We arrived there around 5.30 p.m. and after queuing we finally got in and found our seats. I was in the fourteenth row, and my legs were shaking, for I was both very tired from the car and very nervous. Around 8.15 p.m. the lights went out... "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen" … people stood up to get closer to the stage and so did I. I had a little altercation with one of the security guards who stopped me but after faking I was gently returned to my seat: I rushed to the stage and managed to squeeze through people and get a central fourth-row position. Dylan was there, almost in front of me, the sight was even better than in Oberhausen! I could see every detail of his moves throughout this concert that proved to be one of the best I've seen – if not THE best. After what we had had in Oberhausen, never would I have expected such a show!

The man in green made me miss the beginning of 'Roving Gambler', but on the whole it sounded like the night before. Dylan was wearing a grey suit, with black stripes on his pants and a black bow-tie. Do I have to mention that he had cowboy shoes??? He seemed to be less grumpy than in Oberhausen. The song ended and the band received a great cheer from the audience, you could feel that the crowd was more receptive and warmer than the night before. Song number 2 was 'The Times They Are A-Changin'' again :'o(. Dylan didn't feel comfortable during that song. I guess there was a problem with his guitar monitor since I saw a roadie trying to arrange something in the back of the stage. I don't think Dylan wasn't feeling well.

The song that followed was 'It's Alright Ma', and was wonderfully sung, with a pause before the end of each verse. It was really thrilling to see him play that one live! For sure the effect is stronger than when you just hear it from your CD player. His guitar didn't seem to be working any better, so he almost didn't play at all on that song. Larry's riffs were great.

When the first line of 'Mr Tambourine Man' was uttered, the whole arena cheered. The performance was really good. Towards the end Dylan moved back to pick up his harmonica and stepped to the mike. The audience was clapping loud. Then as if he wanted to tease us he moved around, the harp was still in his hand and it was like he was still wondering if he would play or not... I just laughed, this man's so weird! Then finally he got closer to Larry and pointed to him, and then did so with David. His Bobness just wanted to listen - and get us to listen - to what his mates were playing. That was nice. The crowd was enjoying itself, and 'Tangled Up In Blue' followed. It was very similar to the performance we had in Oberhausen. Not better, not worse. This time Bob didn't try to get into guitar solos and again he ended with playing the harp. I really enjoyed it. I know that some people are tired of that song but for me they can keep on playing it every night. I just love it. An ode to life!

Dylan then disappeared for a while. Everybody, including the members of the band, was a little puzzled. Then he came back with an acoustic guitar and they started playing the first song of a series of incredible performances. The musical introduction was rather long, and my heart started pounding strongly when I recognised the tune. It was 'Gates of Eden'! I know he has played that one regularly lately, but I wasn't expecting it at all. That was absolutely beautiful. After a couple of verses he took his guitar away, held it in his right hand and continued to sing that way. Then he put it aside and picked up his harmonica once again. He played it twice in the middle of the song. It filled the arena, "crying like a fire in the sun". Back to the lyrics, the flow of words was almost perfect. It was the first time I was seeing Dylan singing without a guitar. It was striking to see how concentrated everyone on stage was. This was so powerful a rendition. I wanted to ask my neighbour to pinch me but I don't think he would have appreciated that I disturbed him during such a performance.

'Country Pie' opened the electric set and awoke me out of my daydreaming. The version was weaker than the night before but after what we had just had it just didn't matter.

Then came some good rocking chords on a really great tempo and I first thought it was 'Seven Days', but … "A worried man with a worried mind, no one in front of me and nothing behind..." This obviously wasn't 'Seven Days'! Woohooo, I just couldn't believe it!!! I thought he had left 'Things Have Changed' behind in America, but no, he has taken it along in his suitcase! I think that most people in the audience enjoyed it as much as me. Eyebrows raised, Bob let us see the deep blue of his eyes on "I'm in love with a woman that don't even appeal to me". Great song, great performance. I'm 21 and I can say this is the kind of stuff that would appeal to people of my age. This is proof that Bob Dylan is still kicking! If only they knew it...

After this came 'Down Along the Cove': needless to say I wasn't expecting that song either! The band had much fun in playing it, it was very fast and the guitars were playing damned well. This time Bob did a really good job, moving around and bending his knees all the time. It was endless, everybody was smiling on stage and in the audience. Great !

Then they started to play a soft tune and I immediately recognised 'Every Grain of Sand'. That was just unbelievable! What a set he was offering us! After a long long introduction, the dying voice within him reached out in the arena and the whole rendition was a wonder. Once again, I was wondering if all of this was real... Then came a very strange version of 'Cold Irons Bound'. I heard someone in my back say "Dylan's going psychedelic" and indeed that's a bit how the introduction sounded like. It was kind of scary. The drums were playing and stopping dead, leaving Bob's singing up front. Tony played the tambourine. Totally different to what we had known before!

Dylan introduced the band and they embarked on 'Leopard Skin Pill-Box Hat'. Everybody was having much fun. No doubt it was better than in Oberhausen. Bob's solos were finer.

Then Dylan bowed and pointed to someone in the crowd. His back was all wet. They left for a while, then returned with 'Love Sick'. It was good and solid, as it often is. There was a nice light-effect during the chorus. A blonde girl of my age arrived on stage between Tony and Charlie (lucky her!) as they started playing 'Like A Rolling Stone'. I don't know how she got there but for sure she was having fun. She was strumming an acoustic guitar that wasn't plugged in (which was a good thing for us, seeing the way she was carrying the instrument…). I guess she was just a fan who had managed to meet Bob before the show. Curiously enough he didn't pay attention to her. As for the performance of that song, it was very good again. I was very pleased to hear that the next song was 'Forever Young'. Bob was almost whispering the title words and his solos were as fine as in the previous songs. Larry and Charlie's back-up vocals were nice. Then came 'Not Fade Away' and 'Don't Think Twice, again we had a nice harmonica solo at the end of the latter, and they closed the concert with 'Rainy Day Women' again. This time it was great! Bob waved his hands in the air as if he was conducting an orchestra, inviting us to clap our hands. You could feel that everybody who was there that night had had a great time. The guitars were rocking well and I thought to myself, "Val, look at him attentively now for in a couple of minutes he will have disappeared". And so he had after a few bows and thumbs-up to the audience. That was it.